#484 Lifeboat Station, Mersea Island

This was the first painting I did with Graham in Essex, I choose a low horizon line to emphasis the dramatic windy sky. I drew and re drew the Coastguard building in different areas on the board and also different sizes. It was the first time there and it takes a while to settle into a place. It was worth redrawing as the composition is so important and at the early stage its easy to change!

I use a Pro Arte Stirling round brush to draw the initial composition and the colour I choose to draw in is connected to the painting colours. For this one its a deep browny red colour, similar to the lifeboat building. So if any drawing bits show through they link in with the final painting.

#483 Boats at West Mersea Island

I spent the day in Essex with a painter I admire called Graham Webber. We painted side by side and it was a real treat! I loved watching him work and chatting art all day :-) 

Sometimes it feels very solitary as a painter but when these sort of days happen it feeds the artistic soul! And also gives me reassurance that the stuff I think and do as an artist is not alone for example taking photos for reference. Graham had his big Canon camera with him and was not abashed about taking photos as an aid memoire for back in the studio. It can often be frowned upon to use a photo to work from but as we discussed if you use them as a tool then why not!! So you are not doggedly copying but using it or several of them to help compose and colour your painting. Sometimes if there is a fleeting light on my subject or cloud formation I will take a photo in case I want to use it later. It can be hard to record and translate everything when doing a plein air.

Mine is on the right, Graham's the left

11x14"oil on board

#453 'Frost Meadow, The River Wey' 10x12"

A really chilly start it was -1 and frosty grass with a contrasting beautiful glowing sunrise. A new painting find for our local area, I like the open meadows, windy river and the sheep were a bonus. Will go back in Spring...

Beginnings..

#445 'First Light Venice' 40x50cm

One for my exhibition, an idea taken from a small 8x10 plein air did in Venice September last year. I loved the building on the right with the light shining on it. I took a risk with the wooden poles, quite dominant structures but it gives depth and a sense of place.

I painted from a cafe area on the side of the water. I had to be fast as the waiter said you have 30 mins before I set up. Enough to get an impression!

#444 'Trees in Snow' 30x40cm

Started outside on the last day of the snow we had finished in a warm studio! Painted one before this (see previous post) but liked the tall tree and sky so did a bigger painting in a portrait format.

#436 'Snow Pastels' 30x30cm

Just after sunrise when there's still a bit of colour in the sky but no direct light on the scene. It was a few days ago -8 with wind chill, bitter but worth it :-) 
Reminds me of Farrow and Ball colours! Lots of mixed greys - warm and cool. More snow paintings to come!

#433 'Red Sky & Fishing Hut' 24x30cm

This scene was the next bay along from where we were staying. Such a bonus to find a characterful fishing hut and great old boats. 
I sketched it out in the day time but went back the next morning at sunrise to take photos. So I combined the two as I really loved the sky and how everything had a warm reddy tinge.

Sketched on location in sunny Gran Canaria

#432 'Sunrise, Gran Canaria' x 2

24x30cm Sunrise, Gran Canaria

My husband Nick and I had a week in the sun over the Christmas holidays, a proper break without my paints or his camera. (First one since our honeymoon 4 years ago!)
I did however bring my sketch book, and we were blessed with stunning sunrises from our balcony, I drew it twice, to try and 'learn' the subject ready to paint it back in the studio.
The above painting was my second one which included all the palms. Wonderfull silhouettes and hot colours - different from the UK sunrises especially this time of the year!
Making sure the colours are bight and light but the sun one stage lighter in tone to stand out.

3 tone sketch, studying the silhouetted shapes

First painting 18x24cm, small to practise the colours and shapes

Sketching from the balcony :-)

#431 'Low Winter Sun over The River Hamble' 10x12"

I actually started this painting before the previous post no.430. Having chased the sun and finally found a location and subject, I drew out this composition and mixed some pools of colour. But by then the low sun had changed into sunset colours and more clouds had formed I wanted to capture them on a wider board so abandoned this one. 

I finished the painting in the studio trying to keep the fresh feeling of plein air even though it was from memory and a photo. One way of doing that is deciding on the time of how long you want to paint for - say 90 mins and try and complete the painting in this time.  It means less time to fuss and fiddle and helps to make you decisive and confident with making your marks.

#426 'Winter Skies, Bramshott Common' 8x10, 10x12"

A plein air sky not far from my house on land owned by MOD. I like seeing the distance and feeling the space. Winter sun means its sets over the distant hills - quite perfect!
I used a textured linen coloured board to give it more atmosphere. 

This second painting was done in my studio the next day using the above piece as a starting point. I wanted another go at the sky. As i would have done two outside but the sun disappeared within 40 minutes of setting up!

p.s I will be doing a seasonal post on Christmas Eve.....

#423 'First Light, Langstone Harbour' 30x40cm

A wintery day, and lucky to have a break in the weather as it didn't look hopeful when I arrived - solid cloud and raining! I'm pleased I didn't drive home, waited in the car and some beautiful light and cloud formations appeared, just my sort of subject!

Decided to include the cars on Hayling Island bridge to help the composition and I used quite thin paint in place to let the linen coloured canvas show through.

#420 'Early Winter Light, Meon Valley' 30x40cm

A sky painting on a textured linen board. I was driving around looking for a subject and a saw a truck in a field and this view, so I turned around and hoped the farmer would be friendly. He was and allowed me to park and paint in his field. 
I made a low horizon and made it about the sky, light and clouds, the receding hills also were great!

#416 'Autumn on Bramshott Common' 12x12"

This scene is about a 15-20 minute walk from our house. Autumn colours really improve this subject and I couldn't wait to paint it! 
I liked the track leading in to the orangey oak tree. The sky was a bonus with fluffies. I put them in straight away as I knew it would change. By mixing a neutral colour from the 3 primaries - red yellow blue and made sure it was light enough in tone.

Quite often I will take a photo during the painting and change it into black and white on my phone to check the tonal values, make sure they read and work as a whole and compare them to the subject. 

My palette, subject & painting nearly finished

#412 'Albert Bridge, Reflections' 12x12"

I used a home made linen board....
METHOD for making one: I roughly cut out some preprimed canvas stuck it to a MDF board so it overhung on the sides. I used Neutral PH PVA glue (so it wont rot in the future.) Once dry I cut it butt up to the board with a scalpel knife = linen covered board ready to use!

And this was the first painting I tried on it. I have had this canvas for years and I'm not sure whether it's too course. The subject may have called for a finer weave but it made me apply the paint loosely yet put in details like the boat. Its always a fine balance of enough information to it being overworked.

Here are the stages of my painting

#410 'Rain Cloud, The South Downs' 9x12"

This is about a 25 minute drive form me and during the whole car journey is rained hard! I thought I'll have to sit int he car when I get there and wait.

But upon arrival this is what I saw! A huge beautiful cloud covering a lot of the view I wanted to paint. The cloud shape was quite stable and it didn't move off for at least 30 minutes so was able to study and paint it plus the rain falling in the distance.

The light on the water on the horizon line I emphasised with thicker paint and strong marks. I made sure the tonal values got stronger coming into the foreground.

#362 'Sandymouth Beach 10x12"

Last painting in Cornwall. I really enjoyed this part of the world, it helped to have amazing weather, light and skies!
This is a wet sand and sky painting. I worked on the tones - the sand was surprisingly dark and the sea even darker. I tired to paint the waves over the top of the dark sea colour it didn't work so I wiped out wave shapes with kitchen towel and was able to get a better purchase and make the waves light enough.
The wet sand puddles were quite dark too, reflecting the sky in colours. People went into the sea as I was painting which helped with scale and interest.

I did some sketching through the trip so hope to do more paintings of Cornwall in the studio...

#361 'Crackington Haven' 11x14"

A large imposing cliff the locals call Sleeping Dragon. A great paintable subject...with low tide and the water on the sand reflecting the cliff and sky. People to give scale and interest plus the colourful life guard flags. The sky I'd taken time to put in the sweepy clouds and then some fluffy dark clouds came over the top so I took a risk and painted fluffies over the top, I'm pleased with how it turned out.
It was quite a big board but works well with the huge cliff.
I was lucky as I was just finishing up and then the rain fell...

Rain clouds approaching!

#360 'Widemouth Bay' 20x50cm

The North Cornwall surf was so much fun to paint! 
Looking the other way the beach was busy with people, life guards and surfers, it looked interesting but this way attracted me more because of the colours. - Looking into the sun creates strong tonal shapes and less colour, looking away from the sun i.e the light shining directly onto the subject makes the colours strong and less about tonal values.

Although I still worked on the tones I compare what is a similar tone within the subject:
sky and the sand are similar 
The distant sea and the rocks 
Wet sand & foreground sea - squint your eyes and have a go!

The sky was changing with lots going on in it. The foreground rocks helped with composition, the tide was high so only the tops of them stuck out it was good to have the water around them - low tide it's just a mass of rocks.

Spot the ring of sandcastles, they were making them as I was painting, I decided not to include in my painting.

This is one of the those paintings that did it itself. Hardly any wiping off and quite quick to get it all in.They dont all happen like that! 

#356 'Early Light, Southsea Beach' 9x12"

Good to get back to plein air painting as I had a week in the studio doing commissions, finished and happy :-)

A quick painting session this morning before piking up our shared dog (Matte) from my Mum in Southsea. 

I was really pleased to find these great shaped clouds and contra jour sparkling light on the water!! 
I didn't do any of the usual things before - like sketch and mix piles of paint... I just got the board out and did the sky straight away, as it was breezy and the clouds were disappearing to my right fast.

The tonal values were really important getting the lower half of the sky darker than the sparkling sea but still a yellow glow. The light on the clouds were lighter than the overall sky but darker than the sea sparkle. A lot to assess in a one a hour painting!

After this one I turned around and started another this time of an old friend South Parade Pier, painted many times when I used to live in Southsea. Sadly I ran out of time so will post when its finished!

#354 'Sunset Bosham Harbour 11x14"

I faffed for an hour starting another one, putting two much building and foreground in. Then I realised it was the sky I liked so started again and focused on the sky...
I had only a little time then before the sun went below the cloud line, very fast mixing and painting!
Quite a big board so used a big brush and thicker paint in the area I liked and thinner up above.
I stopped when it had changed too much and started another but a drawing preparation for a painting.

The Sky turned a gorgeous pink!